The Shape of My Heart

by Mark Sperring, Alys Paterson (Illustrator)

Overview

Told through the vibrant shapes of a child’s world, this heartfelt story of love is perfect for readers who loved of In My Heart and Michael Hall.

From sunup to sundown, from our hands to our feet, to the animals, cars, and treats around us, the world is alive with endless shapes to identify. Once you start to look, you never know what shapes you'll discover next!

With gently reassuring text and vibrant illustrations, parents and children with delight in reading along and exploring the world in a whole new way.

Check this book out if you're searching for:

- An engaging early introduction to shapes

- A sweet, colorful read-along story

- A gift for Valentine's Day, Mother's or Father's Day, or any holiday occasion

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681190174
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	280,996
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

MARK SPERRING is the author of many books for children, including I'll Love You Always and Mermaid Dreams. He lives in the United Kingdom, where he is a bookseller.

ALYS PATERSON is a graphic designer and fine artist whose artwork has appeared on greeting cards, postcards, and more. She lives in the United Kingdom.

www.alyspaterson.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

This eye-catching picture book is a reassuring valentine for any day of the year. . . . A lovingly designed and visually appealing portrait of the places, animals, and objects common to a child's world.” —Publishers Weekly

“Paterson's charming, modern designs practically sing. . . . Satisfying rhymes and large, attractive art combine to make this a storytime or bedtime winner.” —School Library Journal

“Paterson uses brightly colored cut-paper collage-style illustrations to urge readers to give a fresh look to everyday objects. . . . An intriguing combination of poetic wondering and point-and-name-the-object prompts.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Part concept book and part poem, this eye-catching picture book is a reassuring valentine for any day of the year. Despite the emphasis on shapes, Sperring (The Sunflower Sword) isn’t offering an introduction to circles, squares, and triangles: “This is the shape that we are./ The shape of you and me,” he writes, as the opening spread shows two smiling figures—one large, one small—in white silhouette, defined by a sea of colorful shapes that surround them. A focus on bodily shapes continues (“This is the shape of my hand,/ the hand you hold on to”), serving as an entry into related objects and settings (a spread about food follows one about mouths; a look at feet and shoes paves the way for a scene featuring vehicles). Debut illustrator Paterson fills the pages with crisp and colorful objects, often accented with sound effects (a friendly dinosaur offers a gentle “raaaa,” birds chirp and tweet). It’s a lovingly designed and visually appealing portrait of the places, animals, and objects common to a child’s world, with the invisible but perceptible adult presence hovering in the background. Ages 2–5. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—Sperring offers up a slightly nontraditional concept book in this visually absorbing introduction to shapes. Circles, squares, and triangles are not the focus here. Instead, children are presented with a range of more organic shapes that may hit closer to home-a mouth, feet, shoes, animals, cars, and, of course, a heart. Rhyming text addresses listeners as a parent speaking to a child, pointing out the world around them. "This is the shape of my shoes./And this is the shape of your feet./And these are the shapes that pass us by… /on a noisy, busy street." Beneath a large heart filled with the previously mentioned shapes, Sperring closes his poetic ode with these lines: "And this is the shape I love you with./This is the shape of my heart." Paterson's charming, modern designs practically sing. Stylized birds, a polka-dot mouse, an extra-long pink taxi, patchwork patterned grass, rainbow stars, and other quirky details pop out against white backdrops. Satisfying rhymes and large, attractive art combine to make this a storytime or bedtime winner.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, Farmington Hills, MI

School Library Journal

Singsong rhyming text introduces the myriad shapes encountered during the course of a child's day. But one shape--any guesses?--holds special significance. Sperring begins, "This is the shape that we are. The shape of you and me. / This is the shape of our eyes. And these are the shapes we might see." The shapes presented in this title are really just everyday objects rather than geometrical figures, so those expecting a traditional concept book may be surprised. Eschewing concepts, debut illustrator Paterson does her best to extend the spare text with mixed-media pictures full of eye-poppingly bright images against predominantly stark white backgrounds. Her palette reflects the cheery colors most preschoolers use in their own artwork. The overall visual appeal will satisfy a wide range of little ones. The youngest readers will have fun pointing out favorite vehicles on the spread dedicated to "the shapes that pass us by…" and giggle at the inventive colors chosen to illustrate "the shapes at the zoo!" On the final page is a large heart made up of a collection of mini "shapes" introduced previously and the declaration: "And this is the shape I love you with. / This is the shape of my heart." While this may inspire children to create their own heart full of shapes they love, the title fails to deliver anything that has not been done before. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews